vwdave

Agreed. Like I was saying, you can take a setup that is more fuel economic than a performance engine and make it perform like a rocketship when you lay it down.

There are stock longblock mustangs running 10's on a mild turbo setup and retaining all of their luxurys. Including powersteering, AC, heat, power brakes. To get a all motor fox body to run that fast, you would have a car really bordering on not being streetable.

N7GTJ

iTrader: (2)

On electric cars, what if we mounted the car on a treadmill to charge the batteries at night. Then you wouldn't have to plug the car in.

Pablo

iTrader: (1)

LOL are you serious?

19doug90

LMAO new desktop picture

i didnt read every post but the whole wind powering your alternator thing, did no one mention what about while yorue sitting in gridlock? youd still need it powered by a belt for city driving

TheBigJ

iTrader: (1)

get a battery pwrd radio

N7GTJ

iTrader: (2)

A mini platform for the wind car of the future.

Blue-Beast

I can't believe how far this thread has gone. From a wind generator to a lesson on turbo systems (I like the turbo part). Has anyone stated that an alternator spins faster than what the crankshaft does? How much faster? Crank speed X3 ?? Even an idling engine can produce alternator speeds in excess of 2200 RPM.
What RPM does a Flex-A-Lite fan turn to draw their rated CFM??? So you have a fan mounted behind the grille, how do you plan to overdrive the alternator? We all know ther are usually idle RPM charging issues when underdrive pulleys are used. It just seems like a wasted effort that won't have any results.
I had a car in the shop a long time ago that kept burning AC compressor clutches. The guy had an electric cooling fan tied into the compressor clutch circut. At highway speeds (w/the fan off) the fan produced enough current to partially engage the clutch, making enough friction to eventually fry the thing. With a big enough fan (to produce more amperage) and enough speed (and air flow), it is remotely possible to engage the compressor and have "free" AC. That is truely unlikely (unless you were at the Bonneville salt flats running 300MPH).

Has anyone seen the C6R racing Corvette. Most of the accessories are mounted in the trunk. The alternator and the AC compressor are run from the rear axle (so to speak). Since the race cars are run mostly in an underdriven gear range (1st through 4th(5th?)), so bacically the accessories would be underdriven as well. Only in the overdriven (if in fact that they actually are) gear ranges would they turn faster than engine RPMs. The main reason for rear mounted accessories is the ease of maintainance. It's easier to pop the trunk to change an alternator or replace a belt (and service the starter(it also has dual, rear-mounted starters) than it would be to remove the hood and fight around the engine.
It would be easier to mount the alternator to the rear axle, underdrive the alternator gear ratio, to have it spin the alternator as fast as it would be if mounted to the engine. The drive shaft will be turning faster than the engine while in overdrive and saving a microscopic amount of fuel at highway speeds.

It's a good thought, but not practical.
Some aircraft have external wind generators.
The military used one (I think) on the Spookey gun ship to power the gatlin gun. A prop/generator unit was retrackted when not in use and then deployed before the gun needed to be fired.

I like the idea of Wylie E Coyote's idea of propelling a skate board with an outboard motor in a bucket of water.

The Lambo wouldn't be fuel efficient at ground level, but it'll surely haul the mail.

N7GTJ

iTrader: (2)

I will race ya in my jet car against your Lambo.